July Training

[unlucky7]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: June 22nd, 2017
Where: Ebisu’s temple, Nagashima Resort on the Near Shore
Summary: A chance for gods and shinki to put their skills to the test… at a water park?



The morning of training, a mass message is sent out to everyone on the contact list.

Training will be conducted on the Near Shore today. Please meet at Ebisu's temple for an overview and directions.

Please see the following list for what to bring.

The list of what to bring is a short one: a container to carry blessed water, sunscreen, a swimsuit and towel, a bag for an outing, comfortable shoes and clothes for moving in... the list sounds like something suited for a to a beach or an amusement park.

(Spoilers: It is.)

A map with directions to Ebisu’s temple is also included.



Introductions

Everyone is led to a large conference room in the temple. There's a long table set up with food and drinks: assorted rice balls, bread, pastries, simple assorted bento boxes, tea, coffee, water, fresh juice. There is also a table with shinki pamphlets and maps to the area if anyone wants one. There are chairs set up facing a projection screen.

Once it seems like there are no further arrivals and everyone has had a chance to mingle and get any refreshments they want, some of Ebisu's shinki encourage people to find a seat. The lights dim slightly as Ginia, dressed in a sharp black suit with a dark green tie, steps in front to address the crowd in sign language, another shinki interpreting for her.

"Thank you all for gathering. Today's training format will have a different approach. As we all know, ayakashi are a common problem on the Near Shore. While reports of larger ayakashi have dwindled, small and some medium-sized ayakashi remain. They are drawn to areas with a high population of humans and where negativity or strife can brew.

Everyone, today we're putting our skills to the test and hunting ayakashi. "

Ginia pulls a remote from her pocket and displays a map of a sprawling entertainment complex with an amusement park, onsen resort, water park, shopping center, and hotels on the screen.

"This is Nagashima Resort, one of the most popular vacation and entertainment destinations in Japan. With an amusement park, shopping centers, a water park, botanical garden, and onsen resort, it's a destination for all ages year-round. Because of that, it’s ripe for ayakashi causing trouble.

"The first part of training is reaching the amusement park. You'll teleport to the Near Shore to one of Ebisu's shrines. From there, four paths in increasing difficulty are marked out with ribbons and flags: white, yellow, red, and orange. If you wish to bypass the course entirely, you're welcome to reach the location through public transportation or other means, the choice is yours.

"Once at the site, you'll want to keep an eye out for ayakashi. Flushing them out with borderlines and blessed water is an option, as is seeking out areas problems might occur. Keep in mind the large number of children around means our actions will be noticed, so take a subtle approach or pull the fight to where it won’t be noticed. Also please keep property damage to a minimum.

"After you've had your fill of hunting ayakashi, please enjoy the location's facilities. Full admission and ride vouchers will be provided for everyone as well as a stipend for food and souvenirs."

Ginia grins and gives a thumbs up.

"Do your best and have fun!"

God and Shinki Training

With no new arrivals, gods and shinki are encouraged to work with their temple or other temples to figure out strategies. Or make plans for how to spend the day, there’s no judgment at all. Ebisu, Tsubasa, and Chris are around to provide support and information for gods. Any shinki that want last minute borderline practice or a refresher on light moving can talk to Ginia or Ebisu's shinki.

Physical Training

Beginning at the entrance of Ebisu's shrine, the four routes are clearly laid out. All four take advantage of the lightness all shinki and gods can tap into to jump higher and longer distances and stand on just about anything. The easiest route, white, is a longer route that’s more street-level, but requires using some leaps across the road or use of lamp posts to cut across areas.

Yellow is entirely crossed with lamp posts and electrical poles can be managed without ever touching the ground. It's a pretty direct route and easy for someone focused on lightness the entire time.

Red moves higher, mixing up lamp posts and signs to bound off, as well as a few rooftop runs. It requires a few tricky jumps that can be easier with borderline bridges or teleporting, but still entirely possible with the right planning. Like the yellow route, traversing means never touching the ground until reaching the entertainment complex.

Orange is the most physical of the courses, requiring precise jumps or teleports along rooftops, vertical wall jumps, and a few blind drops or teleports downward to get to the next section. A shinki who can make bridges with their borderline can test their skills with bridging some of the larger jumps, while a god can test out flying in tighter areas or teleporting.

Race other people, help out someone struggling on a route, or skip this portion entirely, the choice is yours.

Ayakashi Attacks

While there are no large ayakashi to fight on top of a roller coaster, the amount of ayakashi around is still plentiful. Crying children, stressed parents, dates going poorly, there are plenty of reasons for negativity to brew and ayakashi to latch onto or encourage the behavior. Common are small ayakashi; tick ayakashi irritating people, coin purse ayakashi making people spend more, bird ayakashi enhancing bad moods, all sorts causing minor mishap. Medium ayakashi, such as slender shadows unnerving children or ayakashi latching onto mirrors and showing one’s worst self, are less common but still lurking about.

Rend them and keep the day lively and fun for everyone, but don’t get caught by any children in the area. If you do, better come up with a story fast. Some kinds are as persistent as ayakashi when it comes to getting an answer.

Rest and Refreshments

Before leaving Ebisu's temple, everyone is given vouchers to exchange for tickets for the parks and 10,000 yen in spending money. There’s plenty to do at Nagashima Spa Land. The water park with its multiple slides, wave pools, lazy rivers, and swimming pools is the perfect way to beat the heat and the main attraction. However, for those who want to stay drier, there's also a full amusement park with rides for all ages and excitement levels. From merry-go-rounds to haunted houses, a giant ferris wheel to thrilling roller coasters, the 40 rides across the park should be the trick

For those who want something a little more relaxing, there's a botanical garden to stroll through with beautiful illuminations at night. There is also a large onsen resort with multiple pools for a nice long soak. There’s also a large shopping center nearby and plenty of food options across the entertainment complex.

In Summary:

• Try racing against others through the city
  
• Put the skills you’ve learned to the test against ayakashi
  
• Enjoy a day at a water/amusement/spa park
  
• Have fun~

Comments

[disregardeddagger]

[Nesir's confused. The woman doesn't believe her child but she seems to believe a huge man in a T Shirt with a sword. Iskander is being dramatic but the woman seems to be happy for him to speak to her daughter and even allow her to follow Iskander to the ride, hunting for monsters.

She doesn't understand at all but she doesn't have to. All she has to do is keep watch and she can do that.] I will sir.

[There is no trouble getting on the ride, the guard can't see Iskander with his sword. The little girl looks a mix of excited and scared now that she is riding with a real monster hunter. There is some bustle as everyone gets more metal put over them, like a cage really. Humans are strange... Then they begin to move.

They are steadily climbing the track when she spots the first ones.] To the left, hidden under that hanging fake cloud.

[towards_okeanos]

[The woman has two older kids to take care of but still manages to check on her daughter every thirty seconds. She's very careful to always have them in her line of sight. Iskandar is grateful she's so trusting, and no doubt tired, that his dumb act worked.

All is fine until they're almost at the end of the very first ascent. Nesir spots it first but soon her observation is confirmed by a terrified gasp coming from the seat at Iskandar's side. Behind them, other children are starting to cry. The girl's eyes open wide as stares right into the black mass of feathers swirling under the plastic cloud. More resembling dark smoke than a flock of birds.]

I see it.

[The demon birds sense blood, or rather fear, almost instantly. They come to feast on it falling like a dark cloud of razor-sharp feathers and claws and teeth.

Iskandar draws his sacred sword. He winks to the trembling girl.]

Hold tight, partner!

[They are ready...

but it needs to be

one

precise

strike.]

[disregardeddagger]

Children are screaming and the ride is still going and Iskander has risen, sword in hand to take down the ayakashi.

She is glad that she doesn't have to try and stand with all this movement but Iskander seems to have little trouble as he tells her to hold tight. Indeed it is he who needs to hold tight. She can feel his hands around her, stifling even if she can also see everywhere. It's strange.

But she is focused. Focused only on the demon birds. One precise strike and she needs to work with him to deliver it.

There isn't much she needs to do, but she does need to be focused and ready, to cut the birds as he aims at them.

She blocks out the screaming children and the rushing wind, they are distractions. All that matter are Iskander and the demon birds.

[towards_okeanos]

[Such acrobatics never were his speciality but Iskandar has no problem keeping his cool in the heat of battle. And this is a battle. It is enough for him to hold the sacred sword in one hand, the other firmly on the metal railing he freed himself from not a moment too soon. In theory, he knows gods can fly - though it's more of a hover than a fully purposeful flight - but he really prefers not to test it right now.

He swings the blade as the demon flock descends on them. Gods and shinki definitely smell way more delicious than all the terrified kids behind them combined to them.]

"REND!"

[The blade comes on a graceful arc cleaving through the black cloud as if it was nothing more than air. With an ear-piercing screech, the ayakashi dissolve into wisps of black smoke that too, in turn, disperse.

Screams from the back sound more enthusiastic than terrified now. Iskandar sheaths the sword. He sits back in his place. The little girl on his side stares, eyes wide and mouth open, completely ignoring the fact that ride is still going.]

You really are a monster hunter.

[Iskandar smiles. He is. Sort of.]

[disregardeddagger]

[She holds fast, she can see everything but she focuses on the flock, focuses on lending her strength to Iskander as he brings the sword down. The feeling of flying through the air, towards the flock and then it is over. The ayakashi are gone and the child is cheering. Iskander was right, she was not a coward after all.]

It seems you have a fan. [The child is grinning at him, like the hero he is, a few other children are also staring though they seem to have managed to not attract the attention of any of the adults, which was a good thing, considering.]